Protective equipment, such as arm protectors, leg protectors, shoulder pads, etc., is used by wearers engaging in various sports (e.g., lacrosse, hockey, baseball, football, etc.) and other activities. In order to be effective, a wearer's protective equipment provides protection against impacts or other types of contact that could otherwise hurt or injure the wearer. In addition, it is often desirable for the protective equipment to not be cumbersome or otherwise impede motion of the wearer or discomfort the wearer.
For example, a lacrosse, hockey or other sports player typically wears arm protectors, leg protectors, and/or shoulder pads to protect himself/herself from impacts with a stick or other implement, a puck, ball or other object, and/or other players during play, but it is usually desirable for the player to remain as mobile and comfortable as possible. This can present challenges in terms of design of the protective equipment. For instance, to protect joints of the player, which move significantly, it is usually useful for the protective equipment to minimize resistance to motion of the player's joints while at the same time providing adequate protection to the player's joints.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for improvements in protective equipment wearable by sports players and other individuals.